U.S. patent application number 13/256640 was filed with the patent office on 2012-11-29 for motor vehicle exhaust system.
This patent application is currently assigned to RENAULT S.A.S.. Invention is credited to Etienne De Malet, Pascal Hottebart.
Application Number | 20120301364 13/256640 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41213296 |
Filed Date | 2012-11-29 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120301364 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
De Malet; Etienne ; et
al. |
November 29, 2012 |
MOTOR VEHICLE EXHAUST SYSTEM
Abstract
A motor vehicle exhaust system, including at least one
pollutant-removing member, for example a catalytic converter or a
particle filter, including a first outlet and connected to an
exhaust line of an associated vehicle, and a second outlet for
collecting exhaust gases with a view to recycling the same, the
second outlet being connected to an inlet pipe of an exchanger for
cooling exhaust gases, an outlet pipe of which is connected to a
housing that receives a valve for controlling exhaust gases. The
housing of the control valve includes a sole plate to be attached
to an end sole plate of the outlet pipe of the exchanger, and the
housing is attached directly onto a body of the exchanger.
Inventors: |
De Malet; Etienne;
(Versailles, FR) ; Hottebart; Pascal; (Eragny,
FR) |
Assignee: |
RENAULT S.A.S.
Boulogne Billancourt
FR
|
Family ID: |
41213296 |
Appl. No.: |
13/256640 |
Filed: |
February 26, 2010 |
PCT Filed: |
February 26, 2010 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/FR2010/050339 |
371 Date: |
October 20, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
422/173 ;
422/168; 55/385.3 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F02M 26/51 20160201;
F02M 26/06 20160201; F01N 2470/14 20130101; F01N 2470/18 20130101;
F02M 26/30 20160201; F02M 26/16 20160201; F02M 26/12 20160201; F01N
13/18 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
422/173 ;
422/168; 55/385.3 |
International
Class: |
F01N 3/00 20060101
F01N003/00; B01D 53/94 20060101 B01D053/94 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 23, 2009 |
FR |
0951819 |
Claims
1-5. (canceled)
6. A motor vehicle exhaust system comprising: at least one
pollution-reducing member, or a catalytic converter or a particle
filter, comprising a first outlet connected to an exhaust line of
an associated vehicle and a second outlet configured to tap off
exhaust gases to recirculate the exhaust gases, the second outlet
being connected to an inlet pipe of an exhaust gas cooler, an
outlet pipe of which is connected to a casing housing an exhaust
gas control valve, wherein the casing housing the control valve
comprises a flange configured to be fixed to an end flange of the
outlet pipe of the cooler, and the casing is fixed directly to a
body of the cooler.
7. The exhaust system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the body of
the cooler is fixed to the pollution-reducing member.
8. The exhaust system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the
pollution-reducing member comprises a body oriented substantially
axially and a first end of which comprises an inlet pipe for the
exhaust gases, of which at least one side wall comprises the first
outlet that is of transverse orientation, and of which a second end
comprises the second outlet that is of axial orientation and at
least one transverse fixing wall configured to take the body of the
cooler.
9. The exhaust system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the body of
the cooler is substantially parallelepipedal, extends in the
transverse direction, and comprises: a horizontal lower face; a
rear face from which the inlet pipe projects, which is curved so
that it extends under the horizontal lower face, and one end of
which comprises a coupling flange; a first transverse face for
fixing to the transverse fixing wall of the body of the
pollution-reducing member, comprising at least one first fixing lug
for fixing to the transverse fixing wall of the body of the
pollution-reducing member; an opposite second transverse face from
which there project an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe for the
coolant; a horizontal upper face comprising at least a second lug
in a form of an angle bracket for fixing to the transverse fixing
wall of the body of the pollution-reducing member, a third lug in a
form of an angle bracket for fixing the casing housing the control
valve, and the outlet pipe of the cooler.
10. The exhaust system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the second
outlet of the pollution-reducing member is connected to the inlet
pipe of the cooler by a bent intermediate pipe comprising a flange
of axial orientation configured to be coupled to the second outlet
of the pollution-reducing member and a flange of transverse
orientation configured to be connected to the coupling flange of
the inlet pipe of the cooler.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a motor vehicle exhaust system.
[0002] The invention relates more particularly to a motor vehicle
exhaust system comprising at least one pollution-reducing member,
notably a catalytic converter or a particle filter, comprising a
first outlet connected to an exhaust line of an associated vehicle
and a second outlet intended to tap off exhaust gases in order to
recirculate them, said second outlet being connected to an inlet
pipe of an exhaust gas cooler, an outlet pipe of which is connected
to a casing housing an exhaust gas control valve.
[0003] Numerous examples of exhaust systems of this type are
known.
[0004] In such a circuit, the casing housing the exhaust gas
control valve is generally fixed to the engine block of the vehicle
equipped therewith, via at least one strut and is connected to the
outlet pipe of the cooler by a flexible pipe.
[0005] This design is relatively fragile because the vibrations to
which the casing housing the control valve is subjected and the
high temperature caused by the close proximity of the
pollution-reducing member may cause the flexible pipe to degrade,
thus leading to leaks that are detrimental to the correct operation
of the vehicle engine.
[0006] Moreover, this design entails a relatively complex assembly
operation because the cooler has first of all to be mounted on the
pollution-reducing member, then the casing housing the control
valve has to be mounted on the engine block and then the two of
them have to be connected using the flexible pipe.
[0007] The invention overcomes this disadvantage by proposing a
simplified method of assembly in which the casing housing the
control valve is fixed directly to the body of the cooler.
[0008] To this end, the invention proposes an exhaust circuit of
the type described hereinabove, characterized in that the casing
housing the control valve comprises a flange intended to be fixed
to an end flange of the outlet pipe of the cooler, and in that said
casing is fixed directly to a body of the cooler.
[0009] According to other features of the invention: [0010] the
body of the cooler is fixed to the pollution-reducing member,
[0011] the pollution-reducing member comprises a body oriented
substantially axially and a first end of which comprises an inlet
pipe for the exhaust gases, of which at least one side wall
comprises the first outlet of transverse orientation, and of which
a second end comprises the second outlet of axial orientation and
at least one transverse fixing wall intended to take the body of
the cooler, [0012] the body of the cooler is substantially
parallelepipedal, extends in the transverse direction, and
comprises: [0013] a horizontal lower face, [0014] a rear face from
which the inlet pipe projects, which is curved so that it extends
under the horizontal lower face, and one end of which comprises a
coupling flange, [0015] a first transverse face for fixing to the
transverse fixing wall of the body of the pollution-reducing
member, comprising at least one first fixing lug for fixing to the
transverse fixing wall of the body of the pollution-reducing
member, [0016] an opposite second transverse face from which there
project an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe for the coolant, [0017] a
horizontal upper face comprising at least a second lug in the form
of angle bracket for fixing to the transverse fixing wall of the
body of the pollution-reducing member, a third lug in the form of
an angle bracket for fixing the casing housing the control valve,
and the outlet pipe of the cooler, [0018] the second outlet of the
pollution-reducing member is connected to the inlet pipe of the
cooler by a bent intermediate pipe comprising a flange of axial
orientation intended to be coupled to the second outlet of the
pollution-reducing member and a flange of transverse orientation
intended to be connected to the coupling flange of the inlet pipe
of the cooler.
[0019] Other features and advantages of the invention will become
apparent from reading the detailed description which follows, for
an understanding of which reference will be made to the attached
drawings in which:
[0020] FIG. 1 is an overall exploded perspective view of a system
according to the prior art;
[0021] FIG. 2 is an overall assembled perspective view of a system
according to the prior art;
[0022] FIG. 3 is a view is an overall exploded perspective view of
a system according to the invention;
[0023] FIG. 4 is a view is an overall assembled perspective view of
a system according to the invention.
[0024] In the description that follows, identical reference
numerals denote components that are identical or that have similar
functions.
[0025] FIG. 1 depicts the entirety of a conventional motor vehicle
exhaust system 10.
[0026] The system 10 is, for example, intended to be associated
with an engine (not depicted) of a motor vehicle.
[0027] In the known way, the system 10 comprises at least one
pollution-reducing member 12, notably a catalytic converter or a
particle filter, comprising an exhaust gas inlet pipe 14, a first
outlet 16 connected to an exhaust line (not depicted) of an
associated vehicle, and a second outlet 18 intended to tap off
exhaust gases so that they can be recirculated.
[0028] The second outlet 18 is connected by an intermediate pipe 20
to an inlet pipe 22 of an exhaust gas cooler 24. An outlet pipe 26
of the cooler 24 is connected to a casing 28 housing an exhaust gas
control valve, by a flexible pipe 27.
[0029] The flexible pipe 27 comprises, for example, a collar clamp
30 to fix it to the outlet pipe 26 and a flange 32 to fix it to a
flange 34 of the casing 28 of the control valve.
[0030] The casing 28 of the control valve is fixed by screws 36 to
a strut 38 intended to be fixed to the vehicle engine.
[0031] With this design, the vibrations to which the casing 28 of
the control valve, jutting out beyond the end of strut 38, is
subjected and the high temperature induced by the close proximity
of the pollution-reducing member 12, may cause the flexible pipe 27
to degrade. This degradation may cause leaks or the ingress of air,
all of which are detrimental to the correct operation of the
exhaust gas recirculation, thus disrupting the operation of the
vehicle engine.
[0032] Moreover, this design entails a complicated and awkward
assembly because it is necessary first of all to mount the cooler
24 on the pollution-reducing member 12, and then to mount the
casing 28 housing the control valve on the strut 38 and the strut
38 on the engine block, before finally connecting them using the
flexible pipe 27.
[0033] The invention overcomes this disadvantage by proposing the
simplified assembly in which the casing 28 housing the control
valve is fixed directly to the body 40 of the cooler 24.
[0034] To this end, and as FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate the invention
proposes an exhaust system of the type described hereinabove,
characterized in that the casing 28 housing the control valve
comprises a flange 34 intended to be fixed to an end flange 42 of
the outlet pipe 26 of the cooler 24, and in that said casing 28 is
fixed directly to a body 40 of the exchanger 24.
[0035] Advantageously, the body 40 of the cooler is fixed to the
pollution-reducing member 12.
[0036] In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the
pollution-reducing member 12 comprises a body 42 oriented
substantially axially and notably substantially cylindrical and a
first end 44 of which comprises the inlet pipe 14 for the exhaust
gases, of which at least one side wall 46 comprises the first
outlet 16 of transverse orientation, and of which a second end 48
comprises the second outlet 16 of axial orientation and at least
one transverse fixing wall 50 intended to take the body 40 of the
cooler.
[0037] To complement this, the body 40 of the cooler 24 is
substantially parallelepipedal and extends in the transverse
direction.
[0038] The body 40 of the cooler 24 notably comprises a horizontal
lower face 52. It also comprises a rear face from which the inlet
pipe 22 projects, which is curved so that it extends under the
horizontal lower face, and one end of which comprises a coupling
flange 56 providing connection with the second outlet 18 of the
pollution-reducing member.
[0039] The body 40 of the cooler 24 also comprises a first
transverse face for fixing to the transverse fixing wall of the
body of the pollution-reducing member, comprising at least one
first fixing lug 58 for fixing to the transverse fixing wall 50 of
the body of the pollution-reducing member 24.
[0040] An inlet pipe 60 and an outlet pipe 62 for the coolant
project from an opposite second transverse face 64. These pipes 60,
62 are intended to be connected to a vehicle cooling circuit in
order to cool the exhaust gases.
[0041] Finally, the body 40 of the cooler 24 comprises a horizontal
upper face 66 comprising at least a second lug 68 in the form of
angle bracket for fixing to the transverse fixing wall of the body
of the pollution-reducing member, a third lug 70 in the form of an
angle bracket for fixing the casing housing the control valve, and
the outlet pipe 26 of the cooler 24.
[0042] In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the second
outlet 16 of the pollution-reducing member 24 is connected to the
inlet pipe 22 of the cooler by a bent intermediate pipe 72
comprising a flange 74 of axial orientation intended to be coupled
to the second outlet 16 of the pollution-reducing member and a
flange 76 of transverse orientation intended to be connected to the
coupling flange 56 of the inlet pipe 22 of the cooler 24.
[0043] In this configuration, assembly is performed as follows:
[0044] the intermediate pipe 72 is fixed to the pollution-reducing
member 12, then the cooler 24 is fixed to the intermediate pipe 22
and the cooler 24 is then fixed to the pollution-reducing member
12. Finally, the casing 28 housing the control valve is fixed to
the cooler 24.
[0045] The invention allows a considerable simplification of the
assembly of an exhaust gas recirculation system.
* * * * *